Eutelsat Launches Europe’s First Dedicated Ultra HD Channel.

As the television and cinema industries accelerate their progression towards ultra HD (4K, 3840*2160), Eutelsat Communications on Monday announced it is launching a dedicated demonstration ultra HD channel for Europe on the Eutelsat 10A satellite. The first transmissions of content filmed in 4K have started earlier this month.

Eutelsat’s new channel is designed to benefit all actors in the broadcasting chain who want to acquire expertise in 4K, including production companies, pay-TV operators, rights owners and TV set manufacturers. The new channel will operate in progressive mode at 50fps. It will be encoded in MPEG-4 and transmitted at 40Mb/s in four quad HD streams. Eutelsat is partnering with Ateme, a video compression solution provider to the broadcast industry, for the transmissions that will be uplinked to the Eutelsat 10A satellite from its teleport in Rambouillet, near Paris.

Ultra HD is expected to be a centrepiece at the show, with new Ultra HD sets showcased by display technology leaders revealing stellar resolution and immersive viewing experience.

“This new step towards 4K continues Eutelsat’s longstanding commitment to achieving new broadcast milestones that over the last 20 years have included digital TV, HDTV and 3D. Early and close collaboration between all players in the broadcast chain will be a key success factor for this new revolution. We are delighted to propose this first Ultra HD platform for Europe,” said Jean-François Leprince-Ringuet, Eutelsat’s commercial director.